Pat McNamee explained

Pat McNamee
Office:Member of Armagh City and District Council
Constituency:Armagh City
Term Start:7 June 2001
Term End:5 May 2005
Predecessor:Séan McGirr
Successor:Noel Sheridan
Constituency Am1:Newry and Armagh
Assembly1:Northern Ireland
Term Start1:25 June 1998
Term End1:26 November 2003
Predecessor1:New Creation
Successor1:Davy Hyland
Office2:Member of Newry and Mourne District Council
Constituency2:Slieve Gullion
Term Start2:21 May 1997
Term End2:7 June 2001
Predecessor2:Jim McAllister
Successor2:Terry Hearty
Office3:Member of the Northern Ireland Forum
for Newry and Armagh
Term Start3:30 May 1996
Term End3:25 April 1998
Predecessor3:Forum created
Successor3:Forum dissolved
Birth Date:12 February 1957
Birth Place:County Down, Northern Ireland
Party:Independent Nationalist (since 2005)
Otherparty:Sinn Féin (until 2005)

Pat McNamee is an Irish nationalist politician in Northern Ireland who was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Newry and Armagh from 1998 to 2003.

Formerly a member of Sinn Féin, McNamee was a Newry and Mourne councillor for the Slieve Gullion DEA from 1997 until 2001.

He moved to Armagh City and District Council in 2001, in which he was elected for the Armagh City DEA. He stood down from elected politics in 2005, and is no longer a member of any political party.

Background

McNamee was educated at St Patrick's College, Armagh, Abbey Grammar School, Newry and at the University of Ulster.

As a member of Sinn Féin, his first electoral success was as a representative on the Northern Ireland Forum, representing Newry and Armagh from the forum's creation in 1996, until it was dissolved in 1998.

The following year, McNamee was elected onto Newry and Mourne District Council, representing the Slieve Gullion District.

At the 1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election, he was elected to the Assembly for Newry and Armagh.[1]

At the 2001 local elections, McNamee was elected to Armagh City and District Council, representing Armagh City.

He did not stand for re-election to the Assembly in 2003, and resigned from Sinn Fein ahead of the 2005 local elections, during which he stood down as a councillor.

When Paul Quinn (21) of Cullyhanna was brutally beaten to death by a gang of men wearing balaclavas and overalls in October 2007, McNamee joined the Quinn Support Group to seek justice for his family.

He contributed to a Spotlight programme on BBC in November 2007 and stated that he believed that 'members of the provisional IRA were responsible for Paul Quinn's death

Notes and References

  1. http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/members/biogs/mmurphy.htm NI Assembly Biography of Pat McNamee